Omaha daily bee., 1887-01-03
JUST BEFORE TIE BATTLE
A Fierce and Desperate Engagement I'm
pending in Organizing the Legislature
vuLTuREs OVER THE FIELD
OGice-Secking Deadbeats, Honorable
Bili<s and Barnacies Button-hol-
ing Members-Monopoly On
slaught Along the Line.

LINCOLN, Ncb., Jan. g Editorial Cor.
respondcncc Once more we arc on the
eve of a fierce political conflict to bo
fought out on the old battle ground. 1t
is to be a pitched battle in the open field,
and not an ambuscade from behind the
ramparts of the party caucus. such
fights are always intensely exciting, he.
cause every acton and movement re-
mains in plain view. These pitched bat
ties are by no means the exception in Ne
braska, but the general rule. This is tho
sixth senatorial contest in which have
taken an active part and only one OF
these was decided by party caucus nomi-
nation. During eight legislative sessions
in sixteen years only two speakers have
been seated 10y the decree of King Cau-
Gus.
The political atmosphere at the capital
is charged with explosive COM
pounds, in which sulphur and salt
pctrc predominatc. Like the calm that
prccedes great storm, it only requires
conclusion to bring about Il terrific out
burst of the elements. The onslaught of
the cohorts will begin ut an early hour
tomorrow when majority of the mem
bcrs have been rallied under their re-
spective leaders.
In ordinary battles the vultures only
appear after the work of death and de-
struction has been completed. In polit-
ical battles the voraoious birds of prey are
always lowering over the field before the
first shot has been fired. If there is any.
thing detest in this world it is the
wrotched political vagrant who makes
his living in playing the spy for candi-
dates, jobbcrs and corporation bosses;
who loafs around hotels and picks
his teeth in their corridors from day to
day, during every legislative sos-
sion, oavesdropping upon members
and feeding on the crumbs which
are thrown to him at the capitol.
A full brigade of these shystcrs, dead
beats and bilks IS already quartcred here,
giving advice and instruction to men,
bers us to what they should do and how
they should conduct themselves, Omaha
has sent her quota of this class of polit-
ical lcpers whose very touch Is infect ng
and deadly to any man who values his
reputation. There is the redou6table
Dr. Blair, who hung around the Office of
jesuit, under the pay of n certain de-
funct candidate whom tho party has
spewed out This political medicine
mar has devoted most of his time since
election to loaiing around Omaha hotels
and banking on the position of postmas-
ter of the state senate, upon which
he asserts he holds perpetual
pre-emption. Then there is that ballot
box stulling renegade, John Sahler,
who has been tramping all over
the state fixing up members for the eau
Gus and laying the wires for some of the
jobbers' schemes Last but by no means
least among the honorable bilks comes
the railroad granger, Pat McArdle, who
has had n taste of the flesh pots once and
cannot live content on his farm. This
statesman started ont rs democrat,
worked himself up into the greenback
party, and finally tumbled somersault
into the railroad republican camp. Pat
is very modest; he only wants to be SER
geant-at-,lrms of the house or senate,
with the privilege of assisting Frank
Walters in the good work of converting
members to the caucus on their passage
through the b. u M. oil-room. If | have
any mission down here this time
it will be to rid the legislature of
the gang of barnacles, bummers
and mountcbankS who have at
every session besioged and harrassed
members and intertered with legislationr
There should be q new departure fo;
once, The barnacleS ana profeSSlOnal
Office seekers should be gwen Il wide
berth, and grade of men should be APP
pointed and employed whose regulations
for sobricty, decency and honesty nrc
above reproach.
1t would be impossible during the few
hours since my arrival to make any re-
liable prediction as to the contest over
the organization of the legislature.
Much depends upon the course which
the democrats will pursue from the out
set The same influences that are seeking
to drive the republicans into caucus are
actively at work in the democratic camp
to induce the democrats TO throw away
their votes under the prctensc that by SO
doing they will not become responsible
for what happens. feel confident that
fully four.ilfths of the democratic mem
berS will prefer to do their duty and as
sIst honest republicans in organizing the
legislature in the interest of their con-
stituents Those who want to shirk this
responsibility may be sat down MS mo-
nopoly cats paws.
With the exception of electing the
United States senator, who is bound to
be republican, l can conceive of no
partisan issue that is likely to come be-
fore this legislature. The talk about
party divisions on questions which in
volve purely the material interests Of the
taxpayers is the mcrcSt bosh
f. RosEwATER.